ELL court fight rages on

Phoenix, AZ – The lawyer for state lawmakers is due in court today to explain to a federal judge why his clients need more time to comply with his English Language Learners order. Arizona Public Radio's Howard Fischer explains.

Judge Raner Collins ruled last year that Arizona has yet to meetits obligations under federal law to ensure all students have achance to learn English. He said prior funding plans for the130,000 students who are not proficient fell short. Collins gavelawmakers until last Tuesday to have a new program in place. Alawyer for legislative leaders now wants six more weeks. But TimHogan who represents the parents who sued noted the first rulingthe state was breaking the law came in 2000.

(They've had eight years. Six weeks isn't going to help them atall.)

Hogan said the state has finally come up with models of howschools are supposed to teach English and state SchoolSuperintendent Tom Horne has told lawmakers how much they need togive the schools. What's missing is the money for schools to hirethe necessary teachers.

(They should have been doing that months ago. The sooner we canget that money out there to help these school districts to makethose commitments to teachers for the coming school year thebetter.)